Beat The Crowds!

[Dwayner]

Fellow Ascent-Monkeys:

Just walked by the magazine rack at the local book emporium where I paged through one of the major climbing rags. The cover promised a feature article on the subject of "Beat the Crowds". Expecting some exciting snaps and commentary about window-smashing, cheese-import complainin', wanna pretend we're back in the '60's WTO protestors getting a little instant justice, I was disappointed to find that it had to do with some climbing area that's hard to get to or otherwise rarely visited, complete with pictures to get you all excited and such. "Beat the Crowds"....ain't that ironic...who ever wrote the thing will get a little cash; a short-term reward for punishing a favorite climbing area. The theme of the article will likely be passé next year when the crowds start beating their path. What's the stinkin' point?$$$$$????????

- Dwayner, who be shakin' his head sideways.

[willstrickland]

Dwayner:

Agree with the sentiment, but in this case I just don't think it's gonna happen. If I saw it right, it was about the Winds. I did Pingora two years ago and I think the approach and the fact that you are almost guaranteed to be racing some weather will dissuade most folks. It might surge this year and maybe even next year, but once the "epic" stories start rolling out "Yeah brah, it was fully sick, we got horizontal hail and almost got nailed with lightning like six times" people will reconsider. Besides, most people making the trip all the way to Wyoming will probably be clogging up the Grand and Devils Tower.

An article about the Colorado Natl Monument ran a few years ago and the only climbers you'll see down there are on the one "classic". Independence Tower I think it is. I wish they would run some more spew articles about Smith, American Fork, Rifle, and Shelf Road.